Illustrating the story of Dr. Robert Moog and the creation and evolution of the groundbreaking electronic instruments bearing his name, Switched-On: The Birth of the Moog Synthesizer provides museum visitors with a wide-ranging, interactive insight into Dr. Moog’s inventions and the creative process behind their design and development.

Based on interviews with family members, colleagues, and contemporaries, including Herbert Deutsch, Bernie Worrell, Shirleigh Moog, David Borden, and many more, the exhibition provides a unique view into the creative genius of Bob Moog, one of the founding fathers of modern electronic music. With rare Moog instruments such as a vacuum tube theremin, a Trumansburg-era Minimoog, and one of only three R. A. Moog Company PMS-15 amplifiers ever sold, Switched-On: The Birth of the Moog Synthesizer will be the first major exhibition on Bob Moog and Moog Synthesizers to occur in the region, and will run through May 31st, 2015.

Robert Moog came to Ithaca, NY in 1957 to begin his PhD work at Cornell University. He founded the R.A. Moog, Co. in the late 1950s, selling theremins and theremin kits throughout Ithaca. In 1963, Moog opened a storefront for his small factory in nearby Trumansburg, NY. It was there that the Moog modular synthesizer and the iconic Minimoog were born. The factory grew to become a mainstay in the region until Moog sold the company in 1971, and the new owners moved it to Williamsville, NY.

Switched-On: The Birth of the Moog Synthesizer tells the story of Moog’s Trumansburg years, through the oral histories of those who knew him, worked with him, and shared his path in shaping a revolution in sound, technology, and music.